A Place of Rest

Matthew 11:28 (WEBBE): ²⁸“Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.

Jesus knew that people of that time were burdened by trying to keep all of the law, and following all of the traditions that had been added on top of that by men. It would take a great deal of devotion to just learn all of the intricacies of the law. And truly living up to the standard of the law is humanly impossible.

Matthew 5:17 (WEBBE): ¹⁷“Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfil.

It was part of the plan all along that Jesus would fulfill the the law, doing what we could never do ourselves.

Romans 8:1-4 (WEBBE): ¹There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. ³For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; ⁴that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Jesus’ finished work means that we can now live according to the Spirit, under the new covenant.

Matthew 11:28-30 (WEBBE): ²⁸“Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus carried the heavy burden, so that we no don’t have to. A relationship with Him is intended to be a place of rest. We don’t have to scurry around doing all kinds things to stay in His good books. He loves us just as much today as He did when He gave His life for us!

Do you keep any traditions that stop you from really experiencing that rest for your soul that Jesus intended?